DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own any other characters in J.K. Rowling's original series. I merely am here to demonstrate a different approach to the plot, characters, and overall experience in the world of witchcraft and wizardry.

Author's Note: Surprise! Listen, this story's not over until I say it's over. (For reference, I have about 20-25 chapters planned in my head) Once again, I deeply apologize for the almost 3-year update gap. Please enjoy.

XIII

The Private Bathroom

"Get in here."

Draco pulled Hermione through the door and locked it shut behind them, pressing his back firmly against the wood while he sucked in deep gasps of air.

"How did they find us?" Hermione asked through breathless pants in front of him.

"One of the restaurant guests must have tipped them off, that's my guess at least," Draco sighed, pressing his palms against the wood of the door to lift himself off of it.

He looked past Hermione to take in their surroundings for the first time. He had no idea what this room was from the outside when he had opened the door and shoved them in, but now saw that it must have been a private bathroom for the magical guests of the restaurant.

The room was large and circular, with one single bathroom stall that was large enough to fit a vehicle standing across from a double-sink vanity. A long mirror hung above the vanity and extended the length of it, curving to the room's shape. To the right of the stall stood an extravagant arrangement filled with an assortment of amber, tangerine and gold flowers. In the centre of the room was a large round tufted chaise with a variety of colourful pillows thrown across it.

Perhaps the most extravagant part of the room was the ceiling. It was an enormous enchanted mural of the night sky, the painted stars twinkling in the dark abyss with strands of milky clouds floating past a full moon. The room itself was dark, but the glowing starlight above cast bright sparkling lights dancing over the black marble tiles on the floor beneath their feet.

"Wow," Hermione gasped. "This is breathtaking."

"Imagine taking a shit in here every day," Draco said, an impressed whistle escaping his lips as he looked around the room.

Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Did you have to ruin it?"

Draco grinned, spinning around to face Hermione once more. "That's what I do best."

Hermione rolled her eyes and walked past Draco, taking a seat on the edge of the plush ottoman. She ran her hands over the top of the velvet fabric, her nails skimming along the emerald green threading.

Draco watched her for a moment before walking up and taking a seat next to her. They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke.

"I'm sorry this is what your life has become," he said solemnly.

Hermione shrugged. "I've been used to paparazzi from my time spent with Austin, but it was never like this," she said. "We'd be followed, but it was always just to get a shot of us together. A lot of the time they were random things, like us going to the shop or having a bite to eat at a cafe. They were never anything sinister really, just something that was a bit in the way. But now…" She raised her eyes to look up at Draco, a small frown tugging her lips down at the corner. "Now it feels like I'm running from evil all the time."

Draco narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows knitting together firmly as he grasped Hermione's hands in his. "It kills me knowing that you don't feel safe. That's the last thing I want for you, and I promise I will do everything I can for the rest of my life to make you feel the opposite."

Hermione shrugged again, her dark gaze lowering before Draco's hands on her cheeks raised them back to his steely eyes. He looked into her brown eyes longingly, noting how sad and hopeless they looked and no longer emitting the warm and happy energy he normally felt when he looked at her.

Seeing her like this was destroying him; thinking about the fact that she was likely constantly being watched and followed by those annoying, sleazy fuckers trying to prophet off of her pain made him want to personally destroy every single camera out in that restaurant right now. But he had to be cool, calm, and collected for her sake. He wanted to distract her, keep her mind off of the evil she felt, and reassure her that as long as he was around, she would always be safe.

"Did you enjoy anything about that time? Being with a celebrity, I mean," Draco asked, choosing his words carefully. "I'm sure it was thrilling."

Hermione tilted her head back and forth thoughtfully. "There were some parts of it that were fun at times. Most of his fans were very lovely; of course, some wanted me dead because I was with Austin when they thought they should have been. And the gifts were always luxurious."

Draco smirked. "I didn't take you for a gold digger, Granger," he teased.

"I am not!" She exclaimed, blushing. "It's just fun to get something that I never in a million centuries thought I would be able to afford for myself. The idea had never even crossed my mind to buy myself a nice handbag, or some designer shoes, and here was someone who would spend the money on it as if they were buying milk." She turned to face Draco. "You grew up in a wealthy family and yet I never saw you spend thousands of dollars on a shirt for yourself, from what I can remember."

"My father was incredibly egotistical and was constantly promoting his wealth when I was younger," Draco replied with a raised brow. "He bought me the most expensive cloaks for school, the finest of quills - Merlin, even my hair gel was costly. Do you remember when he bought the entire Slytherin quidditch team new broomsticks in our second year?"

"How could I forget the day you called me a Mudblood?" Hermione said with a disgusted face.

"I can still see those slugs sliding out of Weasley's mug," Draco laughed.

Hermione slapped his arm, scowling up at him. "You're really not making any cases for yourself right now, you know."

"Sorry," Draco said apologetically, resting his hand on her knee. "What I was trying to say is that all of those examples of the wealth I grew up with made me never want to gloat about how much money I had as I got older. What's the point in buying expensive goodies? I'd rather spend my money on life experiences, or lifelong investments - things of real value.

"I spent a great deal on you during our relationship without buying you a sparkly bag. I spent money on trips for us together, a dinner on the weekend, or a book that you were telling me about one day. I loved to just… buy you anything and everything, no matter how small. If it made you smile, it was the most valuable thing to me."

Hermione lowered her gaze to her knees, her cheeks pink. "I hope you don't think I'm saying I want and need those things now that I've had them, because I don't. I'm not complaining about anything you ever bought when we were together."

"I know you're not, Mione," he said softly, reaching to grasp her hand lightly under his. "I'm just saying that I didn't need to buy you expensive things to show you that I loved you."

There was a long moment where neither of them said anything. Hermione continued staring at the floor, her eyes sad and thoughtful, while Draco watched her solemnly.

He lifted himself off the ottoman and went to press his ear against the door, listening for any signs of motion outside. He couldn't hear anything.

"I don't think they saw us come in here," Draco said softly, his hand cupped around his ear.

"We can't stay in here forever though," Hermione sighed. "I'm sure they'll be waiting for us to come out of hiding eventually."

"I've got time," Draco smirked, casting a sideways glance towards her. "They can wait all night if they want, I have nowhere to go. I mean, it'll ruin the plans I did have, but I can improvise."

"And what were the rest of the plans for the evening exactly, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione said, a smile finally edging the corners of her lips.

"First of all, I was kind of hungry, and I did just order some roast pheasant before we were forced in here," he said, pouting playfully with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You're in luck." Hermione reached into her purse, her hand extending down until she had her whole arm up to the shoulder in the little black bag. When she pulled her arm out, a large crusty baguette was clasped in her hand.

"You brought an entire baguette with you to a restaurant?" Draco asked, an eyebrow raised.

"This was my emergency snack. I also have marmalade." Hermione rummaged through her bag once more until she pulled out a small mason jar of jellied orange preserves, her manicured nails tapping the sides musically.

Draco laughed deeply, walking over to sit beside her once again. "You're an amazing creature."

"If that's a compliment, thank you," she replied, breaking off a chunk of baguette and dipping it gently into the jar of marmalade.

Draco studied her silently, his eyes following her hand as it brought the pointed tip from the end of crusty bread down into soft orange goo and then back up to her full pink lips. He swallowed as he immediately pictured another tip with gooey substance on it between that soft pout…

"Deyerwatsom?"

"Sorry?" Draco shook his head, the image floating lazily in and out of his mind as he glanced down at her again.

Hermione swallowed. "Do you want some? I thought you were hungry."

Draco's smirked, his eyes darkening as his gaze lowered to her lips. He saw a small orange spot beside her mouth - a trace of marmalade.

"Ravenous," he murmured.

He couldn't take any more of this; having her so close to him, the smell of vanilla and sandalwood perfume on her skin. He could feel the heat of her body, see how her full breasts rose and fell with every breath, and hear her breathing quicken from his response to her question. He needed to taste her.

Slowly, Draco leaned his head towards Hermione's until their lips were mere centimeters apart. He grazed the tips of his mouth against the soft skin beside hers, darting his tongue out to lick the marmalade off her skin softly with one quick motion.

Hermione gasped, her eyelids closing. He could feel her back arching forward, her body language speaking more than any words needed to. His hands found the small of her back as he pulled her closer to him, closing the distance between them with one fluid motion.

"Mione," Draco murmured, his lips so close to hers he could feel the soft flesh of her lips when he said her name.

"Draco," she whispered, her body so close he could feel how fast her heart was beating. Her dress was practically unbearable to look at anymore, her breasts straining to be held in by the green velvet fabric.

"Secondly," he said against her mouth, continuing their conversation from earlier. "I was planning to ravage you."

Hermione laughed softly, her hair bouncing around her shoulders. Her breath smelled like whisky, elderflower and orange mixed together.

Draco growled.

Enough of this.

He stood up swiftly and walked towards the door, his hand sliding into his pocket at the same time to pull out his wand. He pointed it towards the door and wordlessly cast a charm, a pale blue glow shooting out of the tip of his wand and trailing around the edges of the door frame. The blue light continued to expand over the door until it was completely covered in it.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked quizzically.

Draco walked back over to Hermione, towering over her as she sat on the ottoman with a puzzled expression. He knelt over her, his knees resting on either side of her legs and his hands firmly pressed into the ottoman below.

"Imperturbable Charm," he said with a smirk. "I'd rather not disturb the whole restaurant this evening."

Before she had any chance to reply, Draco tilted his head down to hers until their lips finally met. He kissed her softly at first, asking for permission until he felt her lips slowly part in response.

Moaning into her mouth, Draco grabbed a fistful of her hair and kissed her harder, deeper, his tongue trailing along the edge of her lower lip. She tasted sweet, citrusy and spicy; it was intoxicating.

Slowly, he lowered her back onto the ottoman, his right hand sliding their way down the soft plush fabric of her dress. He found the back of her knee and he pulled it tight against his hip, his other hand deeply tangled in her hair.

Hermione was grasping at the back of his neck and shoulders, and he could feel her nails lightly dig into his skin as he pulled her leg up; a telltale sign of weakness.

He smirked on her lips before angling his head to the side, his lips trailing soft but eager kisses up the side of her neck. She tilted her head in the opposite direction in response, a soft sigh escaping her lips as his tongue traced small figure eights up to her ear. He latched her earlobe between his teeth and nibbled softly, careful to avoid the small diamond studs she had in.

"Fuck," Hermione sighed, her back arching forward.

"Soon," he murmured on her skin. His hand slid from the back of her knee down her inner thigh, his fingers gliding menacingly slowly up until he reached the lacy fabric of her underwear.

His teeth latched gently onto her neck as he pressed his index and middle finger firmly against her through the dampened fabric, rolling them in circular motions with mild pressure. He grinned when he heard a sharp gasp from Hermione in return and the grip on the back of his neck tightened, her nails digging further into his skin.

"I'd ask if you like that, but I can already feel the answer," Draco growled huskily onto her skin, his fingers moving quicker against her.

"You're an asshole," Hermione groaned, her hands sliding their way into the back of his hair.

"Am I?" He stopped moving his fingers suddenly, taunting her. Her body arched forward, begging for more of his touch as a wicked smirk flashed across his face down at her.

With one swift motion, he slid down between them until he was eye to eye with her exposed thigh. His mouth met the inner sensitive skin, pressing light kisses all the way up until his silvery locks were no longer visible from beneath the hem of her dress.

"Draco, wait…" Hermione started.

He paused, his hands firmly gripping the outsides of her thighs. The last thing he wanted was to do something she wasn't comfortable with.

"Do you want me to stop?"

When Hermione didn't respond, Draco lifted his head out of her dress to look up at her. She was looking down at him, her hands gripping the edges of the ottoman and her lower lip tucked firmly between her teeth.

When she still didn't reply, he said with a smile, "Do you want me to keep going?"

Hermione closed her eyes, thoughtful for a moment before she gave a single nod of her head.

Grinning broadly, Draco tucked his head back below the hem of her dress. He then pulled her down swiftly by the thighs until he was all the way up, his mouth pressing against the innermost sensitive skin of her upper thigh.

He felt her move beneath him, her hands moving to his shoulders to steady herself. Her reactions were utterly destroying him, and as much as he wanted to continue to tease her, he couldn't take any more of it.

He grabbed her upper thighs, his slim fingers digging into the soft flesh as he pulled her legs up over his shoulders. With one swift motion, he pulled her down to the very edge of the ottoman so that her back was resting on the top of it and her legs were draped over his shoulders. He slid off the ottoman to kneel on the ground in front of her, finally having the perfect access to what he was looking for.

With one hand, he pulled the top of her lace panties down, dipping his head under them swiftly so that he could pull them to her ankles. When he raised his head again, he was greeted by the beautiful sight he had missed so much, gleaming in anticipation for him.

Dinner is served, he thought.

Growling roughly, Draco dipped his head forward and ran the flattened tip of his tongue right along the very top of her entrance, rubbing it firmly back and forth over the sensitive folds. He heard a gasp from above him and felt Hermione's thighs tighten around his head, holding him in place as he began to flick his tongue faster and faster.

"Fuck, Draco," Hermione moaned, her hands untangling his slicked back strands.

He responded by doing just that with his tongue, rolling it around the entrance of her before he slid the whole length of his tongue inside of her. He rolled it in low waves, making sure she felt every curve of his tongue swirling inside of her.

"Yes," she panted. Her hips were arching back and forth with the movements of his tongue, matching the rhythms as he swirled it inside of her.

His one hand held her thigh firmly against his shoulder as his other dipped under her leg, his index and middle finger quickly replacing his tongue as he began to work back on the sensitive mound at the top with the tip. He remembered exactly what she loved, the rhythm she wanted, and how to make her completely fall over the edge at any given second.

Her body movements were telling him she was nearing that breaking point, and as much as he wanted to prolong it and tease her to no prevail, he was desperate to make her cum.

He pressed his fingers in deeper, slowing the rhythm of them while increasing the firm sucking at her clit. He focused on the rhythm between the two, feeling her body beginning to tighten and become tense under him.

"Draco!" She practically screamed it to his delight. "I'm going to…"

She didn't finish her sentence as he brought her over her limit, his mouth latching onto her and sucking while his fingers pumped deeply and slowly in and out of her. He could feel her tighten around his fingers and her hips bucked as she reached her peak, soft gasps escaping her lips as her hands clamped into his hair.

Slowly, her body stilled and Draco pulled his fingers out of her. He lifted his head out from under her dress to look up at her.

Her eyes were half closed and lust filled, her hair unkempt and falling loosely out of the pins she had some strands up in. She was flushed and breathing rapidly, her full lips parted while the stars from the sky above danced over her skin.

He fell in love all over again at the sight of her.

Draco grinned, looking directly into her dark brown eyes as he brought his fingers up to his mouth and sucked her clean off of them.

"Delicious," he murmured. "I told you I was ravenous."